BARRY LYNDON (1975)
BBC Two, 2.30pm
Adapted from William Thackeray’s novel about an 18th-century Irishman (Ryan O’Neal) assailed by war, social disgrace and sexual scandal, Stanley Kubrick’s period epic is listless but visually ravishing. Kubrick closed down his Irish location shoot at short notice, reportedly in response to IRA death threats. (184min)
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DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
Five, 4pm
Kevin Costner’s directorial debut is an ambitious New Age western that defies the genre’s traditional bloodlust and Native American stereotypes. Costner plays a US cavalry officer manning a solitary Dakota outpost, where he befriends and earns the trust of the local tribes. Slow and po-faced at times, this handsome pastoral panorama won five Oscars. (183min)
FAR FROM HEAVEN (2002)
Channel 4, 9.15pm
In re-creating the lush Technicolor splendour of 1950s Hollywood, but highlighting the racial and sexual subtext that was once heavily veiled, the writer-director Todd Haynes pays witty homage to the melodramas of Douglas Sirk. Julianne Moore’s suburban housewife is drawn into a relationship with her gardener (Dennis Haysbert) after discovering that her husband (Dennis Quaid) is gay. (107min)
WOLF (1994)
Five, 11.15pm
Mike Nichols’s classy werewolf thriller is also a sly satire on corporate American machismo. Jack Nicholson plays a washed- up publishing executive who is bitten by a wolf, lending him a new-found virility to challenge his office rival (James Spader) and seduce a frosty heiress (Michelle Pfeiffer). Great opening act, but sadly the ending lacks bite. (125min)
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THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975)
ITV3, 10.10pm
The big-screen version of Richard O’Brien’s cult musical, mixing risqué rock opera with affectionate spoofs of vintage sci-fi movies, still has its rough- and-ready charm. Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick play the young newlyweds who fall into the clutches of Tim Curry’s transsexual alien scientist. Cue several classic sing- along anthems. (100min)
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SILENT MOVIE (1976)
ITV4, 10pm
Wordless cameos by big-name stars provide the main curiosity value in this minor Mel Brooks comedy, which is composed largely of slapstick gags, a few hilarious. The format, a silent film about a producer (Brooks) who decides to revive the silent film, is a smart joke in itself. Burt Reynolds, James Caan, Paul Newman and others add superstar sparkle. (87min)